A new study shows Indiana Avenue in downtown Wichita Falls is the street most Texans want to see preserved and revived.
The study comes from Market Beat, a financial media company that surveyed 3,012 respondents across the country on places they think deserve a comeback.
Reviving Indiana Avenue topped the list in Texas in results published Tuesday.
“Long commercial blocks, vintage storefronts and traces of old Texas oil-town prosperity still shape much of downtown Wichita Falls,” Market Beat said in a narrative. “The nearby Newby-McMahon Building — famously known as the ‘world’s littlest skyscraper’ — still adds a layer of personality and local history to the district. Even now, many residents feel the downtown deserves a broader revival that matches its scale and identity.”
A portion of Indiana Avenue in downtown Wichita Falls received designation as a historic district from the Texas Historical Commission and the National Register of Historic Places in February 2023. The designation applied to 12 buildings from 900 to 1008 Indiana Avenue and includes the historic Wichita Theater.
The Downtown Commercial District in Beaumont placed second in Texas in the survey, and Concho Avenue in San Angelo placed third.
Texas respondents said they want to see diners, cafes and restaurants return to downtowns, with live music and entertainment venues and farmers markets and street fairs also ranking highly.
Texans described many Main Streets in their state as:
More than half of those quizzed said they felt emotionally attached to historic downtowns and blame their decline on:
Eighty-three percent of respondents said small town Main Streets are worth saving.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: One Wichita Falls street ranks tops in Texas for preservation
Reporting by Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News / Wichita Falls Times Record News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News | USA TODAY Network
